I'm 16 with puffy nipples! Can i have surgery?

[jordf123]

I don't know too much about the condition but i definately have it.
My nipples sometimes puff out so much, the tip can't be seen and they just look like bumps. When cold they go flat again but i can feel a small bump underneath which is sometimes sore, sometimes not.

Obviously these have repurcussions on my social life as not only are they embarassing around the boys, but even worse to girls!

I normally can't take off my top unless they are hard and flat and sometimes they can even show through the top.

I got the condition nearly 2 years ago and i have been expecting it to go, but sadly it remains.

I'm confident it is caused by adolescence and not marijuana use as i don't smoke too much and i don't think i smoked 2 years ago, when it started.

I'm willing to pay the money and to do the operation whether it hurts or not, but at 16 years old will i be allowed it?
Because I've read that even if i am old enough, i might not be able to have the op as my hormones are still at high levels and the condition may return.

[Paa_Paw]

16 is a bit too young usually, but not always. It depends upon how completely you have matured physically.  Some of us, unfortunately, mature rather slowly. Yet, I have heard of surgery being done on 15 year olds. Generally speaking, you should be somewhat older.

Even if the condition was caused by the hormonal imbalances of early puberty, Marijuana may play a part in the fact that you still have it.

The active compounds in marijuana are oils and they are stored in the fat cells. This is why a drug test for marijuana will be positive days or even weeks after the last usage. There is clear evidence that marijuana raises the level of estrogen compounds in the body which would help maintain the breast enlargement even if they were not the original cause.

In the US, There is little to no chance of having surgery under the age of 18 without parental permission.

An Endocrinologist would be the Doctor to see as to whether you have physically matured and your hormones have stabilized at adult levels. This same doctor would also be best able to treat you if there was a hormonal problem.

Good Luck!

[jordf123]

Thanks for thr answer.

In reply to what you said, I stopped smoking marijuana for about 1-2 months before my GCSE's and nothing changed.
Also in reply to what you said about maturing. You could call me a late bloomer and I have only started growing hair on my chin and sideburns so does that mean i can't have the surgery?

I seriosly hate my nipples, i don't are about the pain as i can take it, but i hate the look of them!

[jordf123]

bump!

[headheldhigh01]

talk with a ps.  normally they want the hormones to fall back into a stable range so it won't come back, and that will depend case by case.  but the fact is you really do too, there's no point in paying 12k instead of 6 and doing an op twice, you just want it to stay done once and for all.  it sounds like hell, but if you had to put up with it for maybe 2 more years, ask your ps about it, but i think it'd really be the smarter thing to do.  

[madmax]

Hi, i´m new to the forum. My english isn´t that good so my apologies beforehand I´m german, 33 years old and this is the only discussion board i found on the net that deals with this subject. So here goes. I´m posting in reply because i have the same problem (still i should say). I became gynecomastia when i was about 10 to 12 and it got removed
twice and now comes the part that is frustrating me: the second time (i was about 17) they didn´t remove the puffy nipples. They asked me and i said no (stupidest thing i ever did). So i´m asking you, am i crasy to still be behaving like that?

[Paa_Paw]

From my perspective, your English is just fine and you have no reason for an apology.

I am 69 year old, If the surgery, in its present form, had been available when I was much younger; I probably would have had it. But the various methods now in use have been around for only a short time and my priorities have changed so I probably will not ever have surgery.

You should do whatever seems right for you and no explanation is needed.

To that end, you should become informed so that your decision is one that you can live with.

[headheldhigh01]

if i understand you rightly, you're certainly not crazy to be annoyed by having puffies, but i would assume in your case it's not too late to try and get it fixed.  will your national health service, about which i don't know much, cover it?  

[martyparty2006]

i have found that my right nipple is rounded and hard

when i squeeze it, this clear liquid comes out of my nipple, im i lactating or something, this is really wierd

[DrBermant]

I don't know too much about the condition but i definately have it.
My nipples sometimes puff out so much, the tip can't be seen and they just look like bumps. When cold they go flat again but i can feel a small bump underneath which is sometimes sore, sometimes not.

Obviously these have repurcussions on my social life as not only are they embarassing around the boys, but even worse to girls!

I normally can't take off my top unless they are hard and flat and sometimes they can even show through the top.

I got the condition nearly 2 years ago and i have been expecting it to go, but sadly it remains.

I'm confident it is caused by adolescence and not marijuana use as i don't smoke too much and i don't think i smoked 2 years ago, when it started.

I'm willing to pay the money and to do the operation whether it hurts or not, but at 16 years old will i be allowed it?
Because I've read that even if i am old enough, i might not be able to have the op as my hormones are still at high levels and the condition may return.

There are many factors invovled before a decision can be reached about what to do.  At your age, this is something you need to discuss with your parents.  If they agree, then spending time learning more together may be the best way to start.  How young before surgery is a common question.  Some need endocrinology / medical evaluations.   Options depend on the degree of the problem, weight, breast still growing or stable, and other factors.  The youngest patient I have operated on for gynecomastia was 11 years old at the time of surgery.  Here are other pictures of young men with gynecomastia and information that may be helpful.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Sculpture